16th August 2004: The Day the Heavens opened.
In the coastal village of Boscastle, residents woke up to a typical Monday morning. It's 7AM and the sky is cloudy and grey, but there is no rain. A typical August Monday morning in England, nothing out of the ordinary.
Fast forward 12 hours and the town resembles a twisted version of Atlantis. The streets are filled with thousands of gallons of murky water. A fast-flowing river has torn a path through the village's centre. Cars have been picked up by the sheer force of the torrents, only to be slammed against a low-lying bridge, forming an impromptu dam. Helicopters fill the skies as distressed locals cling to house roofs and even trees. The village has turned from an idyllic tourist attraction to a watery hellhole.
What happened in those twelve hours? That is what we shall find out.
Fast forward 12 hours and the town resembles a twisted version of Atlantis. The streets are filled with thousands of gallons of murky water. A fast-flowing river has torn a path through the village's centre. Cars have been picked up by the sheer force of the torrents, only to be slammed against a low-lying bridge, forming an impromptu dam. Helicopters fill the skies as distressed locals cling to house roofs and even trees. The village has turned from an idyllic tourist attraction to a watery hellhole.
What happened in those twelve hours? That is what we shall find out.
Boscastle in happier times.
